Vote is today on removal of lift bridge removal vote today

City must deed span to the port for work to begin

Officials say the Tule Lake Lift Bridge no longer will be needed after the Joe Fulton International Trade Corridor, a 12-mile road and rail project, is done. The corridor will reroute the railroad to the other side of the turning basin.

George Gongora/Caller-Times file
A tugboat pushes a barge under the Tule Lake Lift Bridge.

A year ago, the bridge stopped lowering for cars and trucks and has lowered only once or twice a day for railcars. Operation and maintenance of the bridge costs the port $1 million to $1.5 million a year.

Severe cracking in its shaft-and-pulley system has raised safety concerns.

John LaRue, executive director of the port, said the Joe Fulton International Trade Corridor, an almost 12-mile road and rail project, will open soon and the bridge no longer will be needed.

The corridor will reroute the railroad from the bridge to the other side of the Viola Turning Basin. Rail service is available and road service is expected to start next month, he added.

In June, port commissioners voted to begin the process of removing the bridge, which would allow the port to widen that section of the inner harbor to accommodate larger vessels. The port can't move forward with the removal until the city deeds the bridge to the port, which hasn't happened.

Mayor Henry Garrett said he hasn't discussed the matter with other City Council members, but feels the matter should be placed on the council agenda soon. He said he worries about the bridge's structural integrity and the disruption of business for port industries when the bridge starts coming down.

"I know it has to come down, but I'm nervous about anything that'll block that waterway and make it difficult for port industries to conduct business," Garrett said. "If (the council) needs to, we'll put it on the next agenda. We'll wait to hear what the port does."